Eldest
Eldest is the second book in the Inheritance trilogy. It was released on August 23, 2005, and, like Eragon, became a New York Times bestseller. Cover flap summary Darkness falls… despair abounds… evil reigns… Eragon and his dragon, Saphira, have just saved the rebel state from destruction by the mighty forces of King Galbatorix, cruel ruler of the Empire. Now Eragon must travel to Ellesméra, land of the elves, for further training in magic and swordsmanship, the vital skills of the Dragon Rider. It is the journey of a lifetime, filled with awe-inspiring new places and people, each day a fresh adventure. But chaos and betrayal plague him at every turn, and Eragon doesn’t know whom he can trust. Meanwhile, his cousin Roran must fight a new battle back home in Carvahall–one that puts Eragon in even graver danger. Will the king’s dark hand strangle all resistance? Eragon may not escape with even his life. . . . Plot summary Eldest begins with the death of Ajihad, and the kidnapping and apparent deaths of Murtagh and the Twins. Subsequently, the Varden elect a new leader, Nasuada, and Eragon, in deference to Ajihad's last wishes, swears fealty to her. Meanwhile, in Carvahall, Roran is being pursued by Galbatorix, who has sent the Ra'zac to capture him and thus lure Eragon out. After repelling many attacks from the Imperial soldiers and suffering a number of casualties, Roran and the villagers manage to keep the army at bay, but Katrina, Roran's fianceé, is captured by the Ra'zac. Nevertheless, Roran decides to leave Carvahall and lead the villagers on an exodus to Surda, a small, independent nation south of the Empire. By that time, Eragon has decided to go to Ellesméra to continue his training as a Dragon Rider. After many adventures on the way, he reaches the elven capital and meets Islanzadí, the queen. It is revealed that Arya is her daughter. Eragon is also introduced to another Dragon Rider, Oromis, the "Mourning Sage" who shielded Eragon during the battle under Farthen Dûr. Oromis is weak, and therefore cannot take part in the war against Galbatorix, but has woven countless spells around himself to ensure that he will survive long enough to train the next Rider. Eragon and Saphira begin their training with Oromis and his golden dragon, Glaedr. Meanwhile, Eragon begins to experience strong feelings for Arya, but faces the realization that he cannot join her because of the age gap between them. He is left heartbroken as Arya leaves to return to the Varden. At the same time, he suffers repeated painful attacks from the scar on his back, but is healed of the wound during the Blood-Oath Celebration. Nasuada has made a momentous decision and moved the Varden to Surda, and the threat of war with Galbatorix seems imminent. Upon hearing of this, Eragon immediately leaves to go to their aid. He arrives to find the situation poised on the edge of war. The armies of the Varden, mixed with the army of Surda, camp on a plain opposite the vast armies of Galbatorix. The battle begins, and Eragon is able to repel the opposing armies for some time using his newfound powers. The tide of the battle shifts back and forth between both sides. With the appearance of the dwarves, the situation changes to favor the Varden. Then, the appearance of an unknown Dragon Rider who kills Hrothgar, the dwarf king, turns the tables once again. Eragon faces off with the strange Rider, and ultimately unmasks him to reveal Murtagh, who had not been killed, but had been taken by the Twins to Galbatorix, and forced to swear allegiance to the king in the Ancient Language. He and his dragon, Thorn, prove to be more powerful than the weakened Eragon, while Murtagh displays an exemplary skill in magic, using spells that would have killed a normal human. Murtagh decides to have mercy on them, however by twisting a way out of his oaths he took in the ancient language; but, before he leaves, he claims Zar'roc as his own and uncovers a terrible truth: Eragon was the youngest son of Morzan, and is therefore Murtagh's brother. Murtagh also reveals that Galbatorix is working to save the dragon race and reestablish the Riders; but in order to do this, he must capture Saphira, who is the last female dragon in existence. In the end, Galbatorix's army is routed, thanks to the timely appearance of the villagers of Carvahall. Eragon is reunited with Roran, and they agree to work together to rescue Katrina. Different editions A deluxe edition of Eldest was released on September 26, 2006. The deluxe edition features the following: *A sneak peak at Book III *An exclusive, full-color foldout poster of Glaedr by award-winning artist John Jude Palencar *A revealing excerpt of the history of Alagaësia *Never-before-seen art by the author, including an image of Brom’s elf ring *A complete and comprehensive list of people, places, things, and dwarf clans *A three question trivia quiz offer to win a grand prize of four official movie tickets to the movie premier of Eragon, with ten runner-up prizes of the official video game. Entries due by November 1, 2006. Publishers in other countries *Australia: Alfred A. Knopf *Bulgaria: Hermes Books *Canada: Alfred A. Knopf *China: ??? *Czech Republic: Fragment Publishing House *Denmark: Sesam *Finland: Tammi *France: Bayard Jeunesse *Germany: Bertelsmann *Holland: Publisher M *Indonesia: Gramedia Pustaka Utama *Italy: Fabbri Editors & Mondolibri *Japan: Random House Japan *Korea: ??? *Latin America: Roca Editorial *Portugal: Gailivro *Spain: Roca Editorial *Sweden: Bonnier Carlsen *United Kingdom: Doubleday *United States: Alfred A. Knopf Characters *Indicates new character *Ajihad *Angela *Arya *Elva *Eragon *Glaedr* *Helen *Horst *Hrothgar *Islanzadí* *Jeod *Jörmundur *Katrina *Murtagh *Nasuada *Orik *Oromis* *Orrin* *Roran *Saphira *Sloan *Solembum *Thorn* *Trianna* *Twins, the *Vanir* List of chapters Inside the book Eldest contains a concise summary of Eragon, the previous book in the trilogy. It also includes a pronunciation guide to the names and phrases used in the book, as well as a note upon the origins of the names. Map of Alagaësia Excerpt from the publisher This is a copy of the excerpt. Click show to read its contents. The original excerpt may be found here. The Council of Elders Saphira's breathing quickened, and she opened her eyes, yawning expansively. Good morning, little one. Is it? He looked down and leaned on his hands, compressing the mattress. It's terrible . . . Murtagh and Ajihad . . . Why didn't sentries in the tunnels warn us of the Urgals? They shouldn't have been able to trail Ajihad's group without being noticed. . . . Arya was right, it doesn't make sense. We may never know the truth, said Saphira gently. She stood, wings brushing the ceiling. You need to eat, then we must discover what the Varden are planning. We can't waste time; a new leader could be chosen within hours. Eragon agreed, thinking of how they had left everyone yesterday: Orik rushing off to give King Hrothgar the tidings, Jörmundur taking Ajihad's body to a place where it would rest until the funeral, and Arya, who stood alone and watched the goings-on. Eragon rose and strapped on Zar'roc and his bow, then bent and lifted Snowfire's saddle. A line of pain sheared through his torso, driving him to the floor, where he writhed, scrabbling at his back. It felt like he was being sawed in half. Saphira growled as the ripping sensation reached her. She tried to soothe him with her own mind but was unable to alleviate his suffering. Her tail instinctually lifted, as if to fight. It took minutes before the fit subsided and the last throb faded away, leaving Eragon gasping. Sweat drenched his face, making his hair stick and his eyes sting. He reached back and gingerly fingered the top of his scar. It was hot and inflamed and sensitive to touch. Saphira lowered her nose and touched him on the arm. Oh, little one. . . . It was worse this time, he said, staggering upright. She let him lean against her as he wiped away the sweat with a rag, then he tentatively stepped for the door. Are you strong enough to go? We have to. We're obliged as dragon and Rider to make a public choice regarding the next head of the Varden, and perhaps even influence the selection. I won't ignore the strength of our position; we now wield great authority written the Varden. At least the Twins aren't here to grab the position for themselves. That's the only good in the situation. Very well, but Durza should suffer a thousand years of torture for what he did to you. He grunted. Just stay close to me. Together they made their way through Tronjheim, toward the nearest kitchen. In the corridors and hallways, people stopped and bowed to them, murmuring, "Argetlam," or "Shadeslayer." Even dwarves made the motions, though not as often. Eragon was struck by the somber, haunted expressions of the humans and the dark clothing they wore to display their sadness. Many women dressed entirely in black, lace veils covering their faces. In the kitchen, Eragon brought a stone platter of food to a low table. Saphira watched him carefully in case he should have another attack. Several people tried to approach him, but she lifted a lip and growled sending them scurrying away. Eragon pretended to ignore the disturbances and picked at the food. Finally, trying to divert his thoughts from Murtagh, he asked, Who do you think has the means to take control of the Varden, now that Ajihad and the Twins are gone? She hesitated. It's possible you could, if Ajihad's last words were interpreted as a blessing to secure the leadership. Almost no one would oppose you. However, that does not seem a wise path to take. I see only trouble in that direction. I agree. Besides, Arya wouldn't approve, and she could be a dangerous enemy. Elves can't lie in the ancient language, but they have no such inhibition in ours-she could deny that Ajihad ever uttered those words if it served her purposes. No, I don't want the position. . . . What about Jörmundur? Ajihad called him his right-hand man. Unfortunately, we know little about him or the Varden's other leaders. Such a short time has passed since we came here. We will have to make our judgement on our feelings and impressions, without the benefit of history. Eragon pushed his fish around a lump of mashed tubers. Don't forget Hrothgar and the dwarf clans; they won't be quiet in this. Except for Arya, the elves have no say in the succession-a decision will be made before word of this even reaches them. But the dwarves can't be-won't be-ignored. Hrothgar favors the Varden, but if enough clans oppose him, he might be maneuvered into backing someone unsuited for the command. And who might that be? A person easily manipulated. He closed his eyes and leaned back. It could be anyone in Farthen Dûr, anyone at all. Critical reaction As soon as the book was released, fans everywhere expressed their opinion. Some praised Paolini's improving talent and better character work. Others found it dull compared to the fast-paced Eragon. Other fans were upset by Paolini's portrayal of elves, which many say were "too perfect" to relate to. Some have also cited the many similarities between Eldest and some of Tolkien's work; Paolini's elves bear a close resemblance to the elves of Lórien in The Lord of the Rings, and several quotes from Eldest bear a striking resemblance to lines in Tolkien's works including the phrase "the ageless elves speak wisdom". Movie A film version of Eldest has not yet been confirmed. If it is, there are many things that would need addressing. Many plot elements crucial to Eldest were left out of the Eragon movie. For example, Oromis does ask not Eragon to come to Ellesmera in the first movie. Also, Brom kills a Ra'zac. Perhaps the most importatnt thing left out is Katrina - the entire part of Eldest that is about Roran and Carvahall cannot take place in Eldest without Katrtina. Luckily, Durza cutting Eragon's back was in the first film, and can still play it's crucial part in an Eldest film. And after the way the first movie ended, there might be another movie. Please see Eldest (movie) for more information and updates. See also *''Eragon'' *Book 3 External links *Alagaesia.com, the official book site Category:Inheritance books es:Eldest